Gentle touch gets the most from classic Caesar Salad

Michael Rossi, executive chef at The Ranch Restaurant and Saloon in Anaheim, recently won a Golden Foodie Award for the best steak in Orange County. His filet mignons sit atop purées of butternut squash and are flavor-spiked with sun-dried cherries, braised cipolline onions and black truffles. Delicious, indeed.

Part of Rossi's training and work experience took place in Italy, but he masters New World dishes with the same finesse as those with European roots. One example is his Caesar Salad, a not-too-difficult approach in which he uses a blender to whip up the dressing. The leaves remain whole and he uses his impeccably clean hands to gently rotate the greens with the dressing rather than chopping and tossing with tongs. It looks prettier, but more than that, the leaves stay crisp and unbruised.

Cook's notes: Sonoma Dry Jack cheese is made much like fresh Monterey Jack, but is further aged, often between 7 and 10 months. It is firm with a nutty, sweet taste. If you prefer, substitute Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino. Remove the zest of the lemon before squeezing out the juice. Little Gems lettuce is a variety that is small and compact; it is crisp like romaine, but sweet like butter lettuce.

Procedure:

1. To make the dressing: Add egg yolks, garlic, anchovy, vinegar, lemon juice, hot sauce, Dijon mustard and half the kosher salt to a blender and process for 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth. Add about 1 tablespoon blended oil and pulse to blend.

2. With the blender motor running on slow speed, pour the blended oil in a thin steam into the blender so the dressing emulsifies; with motor running, pour in extra-virgin olive oil.

3. Stir in the Sonoma Dry Jack cheese, remaining kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and lemon zest; set aside. (Refrigerate the dressing if you will not be using it right away.)

4. Add whole leaves of baby romaine lettuce into a large bowl; place enough dressing to generously coat the leaves off to the side of the bowl. (You can toss in a conventional way, but Rossi rotates the leaves through the dressing by hand so they are coated to perfection and not bruised.) If desired, garnish with additional Sonoma Dry Jack cheese and/or croutons. Serve immediately.